Video – Nepal Australia Friendship Association

Education in the Age of Covid-19

Russ — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 02:00:37 +0000

In this post we are delighted to share some insightful updates in the form of two videos and a written report presented to you by NAFA’s partners and beneficiaries in Nepal.

Bijaya Rajbhandari – NAFA’s volunteer Coordinator in Nepal.

Bijaya provides a particularly insightful overview of how Covid-19 has impacted Nepal. In his video Bijaya makes specific reference to the effect on education, particularly for students in rural and remote villages; a message reinforced by the second video below.

Bishuka Tamang – Student from Tawal

A Grade 10 student brings you her unique message from the Tawal hub school which serves five remote hill villages. Bishuka Tamang’s charming and engaging video epitomises the enthusiasm and energy with which the young people of Nepal approach educational opportunity. In her brisk presentation Bishuka talks about the impact of Covid-19, not only on her own school, but on those in all of Nepal’s remote villages.

Surendra Prajapati – Founding Principal of the VSN School in Thimi and Charter President of the Rotary Club of Thimi.

The attached report report details the Covid-19 related assistance provided by VSN and the local Rotary to the school, the local community and to Patle a village in eastern Nepal. Additionally, Surendra’s report provides details of the responses by a coalition of donors, initiated by VSN school and the Rotary Club in Thimi.

Click here to open the report: COVID-19 Newsletter – Surendra Prajapati

Tackling Covid-19 and Intellectual Disability

Russ — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 02:00:52 +0000

NAFA is excited to share this video message prepared by Shovana Rai, Executive Board member and head nurse for Sungava Home in Kathmandu. Sungava Home aims to provide both residential and day care for young women with intellectual disability. Services include the provision of health care, life skills training and both educational and vocational training tailored to individual disability and learning capacity.

NAFA began supporting the operation of Sungava in early 2019. Whilst the home has been forced to close under Covid-19 government restrictions, the teachers have continued to provide support for the young women, through online contact and home visits. This is risky as Covid-19 infection rates are exploding in Kathmandu. Since the video was prepared, one of the teachers has contracted Covid-19 and has had to self-isolate. Thankfully the teacher has recovered but, understandably, there remains fear in a country with inadequate health services, especially for the poor.

An Inspiring Video Report from Nepal

Russ — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 02:00:06 +0000

In Nepal, the death toll is increasing and life in general is becoming ever more difficult. By mid November there had been over 200,000 confirmed cases, with the infection rate more than doubling each month. The death toll has already exceeded 1,000 with a third of those in the more densely populated Kathmandu valley.

The government imposed a lockdown for nearly 6 months but was forced to reopen as more and more people ran out of food after either losing their job or not being able to sell their goods in the marketplace. The international tourist industry has come to a grinding halt, with the lowest paid workers such as guides, porters, and hospitality staff losing their incomes. The shutdown meant that many families were facing starvation.

NAFA responded swiftly to the Covid-19 emergency in Nepal by providing personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitising supplies to our funded partners. This provision of materials and supplies to provide basic protective measures has been important and greatly appreciated. However, the danger is far from over and we know that we need to continue to provide support and funding … ‘we need to do more’.

This video comes from Govinda Pahari, Director of the Butterfly Foundation in Pokhara. Govinda provides an overview of the impact of the virus in Nepal and how the Foundation has prioritised the distribution of aid packages to people with a disability. It is a powerful report by a deeply passionate man with a long history of helping the disadvantaged in the community, including the establishment of two childcare centres and assisting those affected by the 2015 earthquakes. Since 2006 NAFA has provided funding towards the costs of running the two child care centres.